brain matter against the wall as his limp body slid to the ground.
I looked down at Rose still in my arms to make sure she was all right since her crying had stopped. I found her looking up at me with eyes wide and filled with complete and utter trust.
“I won't let them take you from me,” I promised her, feeling a sense of overwhelming protectiveness consume me.
Before I had time to contemplate my feelings, the female Harvester I first attacked seemed to have recovered from her wounds. She stood a few feet away from me with her handgun drawn and pointed at my head.
She opened her mouth to say something but didn't get the chance to put words to her thoughts.
Two steel arrows pierced either side of her throat. She began to cough up blood as her knees hit the pavement. Yet another arrow was fired, the head of which protruded from the middle of her forehead. She fell to the asphalt unmoving.
My eyes were drawn to a girl at the corner of the building holding a bow. Her gaze drifted from the fallen Harvester to me, cautiously meeting my gaze. She was petite with short hot pink hair and pale white skin. She looked to be around my age. The girl carried a black backpack on her back and a brown leather quiver of arrows across her left shoulder.
“If you're looking for a way to escape, follow me,” she said.
“Who are you and why should I trust you?” I asked her.
“I'm Lux. And there's really no reason you should trust me other than the fact I just saved your ass from being shot. I'm offering you and your baby a way out. Take or leave it. I really don't give a shit,” she said with an unconcerned shrug.
The girl began to walk past us towards a group of five apartment buildings behind the store. I looked at the Harvesters around us and knew I needed to move quickly. The Harvesters out front would be looking for their fallen comrades soon. As I passed the male Harvester I kicked in the groin early on in the fight, I kicked him in the head for good measure to make sure he remained unconscious for a while and didn’t try to follow us.
I healed the bullet wound on my shoulder as I caught up to the girl across the parking lot.
“Where are we going?” I asked her.
“My hideout.”
“Which is where exactly?”
She looked over at me and narrowed her eyes like she didn't appreciate me asking so many questions.
“Listen,” she said, “I'm just helping you out because you have a baby. Don't go thinking we're buddies now because we're not. I'll let you stay with me one night, but after that you're on your own. Got it?”
“Yes,” I told her. “I've got it.”
“Good,” she said with a nod of her head. “Now just follow me and keep your mouth shut before you draw their attention.”
In spite of myself, I started to like Lux. She seemed to be pretty no nonsense and straightforward. They were traits I could appreciate.
I followed her through various neighborhoods as we headed east of our location. She kept us off the streets for the most part as we traveled through backyards. It didn't seem like the Harvesters had made it this far into town yet though. Almost every home we passed felt deserted. It's odd how you can sense the absence of life around you. There's a stillness, a void you can't quite put your finger on. It's a lonely feeling that leeches hope from your soul, imprinting only emptiness.
Lux seemed to know exactly where she was going. There wasn't a moment of hesitation in her steps like she needed to decide her path. She seemed to know it by heart. I saw no reason not to follow her. If she meant us harm, she would have simply left us back at the store, not invited us to join her.
After walking for about two miles, we came to a small marina. Lux walked down one of the wood plank docks to a small yacht. She turned to me before stepping onto the platform at the back of the boat.
“Coming?” She asked, as I remained standing on the sidewalk at the head of the dock.
“Where exactly are we going in
I looked down at Rose still in my arms to make sure she was all right since her crying had stopped. I found her looking up at me with eyes wide and filled with complete and utter trust.
“I won't let them take you from me,” I promised her, feeling a sense of overwhelming protectiveness consume me.
Before I had time to contemplate my feelings, the female Harvester I first attacked seemed to have recovered from her wounds. She stood a few feet away from me with her handgun drawn and pointed at my head.
She opened her mouth to say something but didn't get the chance to put words to her thoughts.
Two steel arrows pierced either side of her throat. She began to cough up blood as her knees hit the pavement. Yet another arrow was fired, the head of which protruded from the middle of her forehead. She fell to the asphalt unmoving.
My eyes were drawn to a girl at the corner of the building holding a bow. Her gaze drifted from the fallen Harvester to me, cautiously meeting my gaze. She was petite with short hot pink hair and pale white skin. She looked to be around my age. The girl carried a black backpack on her back and a brown leather quiver of arrows across her left shoulder.
“If you're looking for a way to escape, follow me,” she said.
“Who are you and why should I trust you?” I asked her.
“I'm Lux. And there's really no reason you should trust me other than the fact I just saved your ass from being shot. I'm offering you and your baby a way out. Take or leave it. I really don't give a shit,” she said with an unconcerned shrug.
The girl began to walk past us towards a group of five apartment buildings behind the store. I looked at the Harvesters around us and knew I needed to move quickly. The Harvesters out front would be looking for their fallen comrades soon. As I passed the male Harvester I kicked in the groin early on in the fight, I kicked him in the head for good measure to make sure he remained unconscious for a while and didn’t try to follow us.
I healed the bullet wound on my shoulder as I caught up to the girl across the parking lot.
“Where are we going?” I asked her.
“My hideout.”
“Which is where exactly?”
She looked over at me and narrowed her eyes like she didn't appreciate me asking so many questions.
“Listen,” she said, “I'm just helping you out because you have a baby. Don't go thinking we're buddies now because we're not. I'll let you stay with me one night, but after that you're on your own. Got it?”
“Yes,” I told her. “I've got it.”
“Good,” she said with a nod of her head. “Now just follow me and keep your mouth shut before you draw their attention.”
In spite of myself, I started to like Lux. She seemed to be pretty no nonsense and straightforward. They were traits I could appreciate.
I followed her through various neighborhoods as we headed east of our location. She kept us off the streets for the most part as we traveled through backyards. It didn't seem like the Harvesters had made it this far into town yet though. Almost every home we passed felt deserted. It's odd how you can sense the absence of life around you. There's a stillness, a void you can't quite put your finger on. It's a lonely feeling that leeches hope from your soul, imprinting only emptiness.
Lux seemed to know exactly where she was going. There wasn't a moment of hesitation in her steps like she needed to decide her path. She seemed to know it by heart. I saw no reason not to follow her. If she meant us harm, she would have simply left us back at the store, not invited us to join her.
After walking for about two miles, we came to a small marina. Lux walked down one of the wood plank docks to a small yacht. She turned to me before stepping onto the platform at the back of the boat.
“Coming?” She asked, as I remained standing on the sidewalk at the head of the dock.
“Where exactly are we going in
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