Post by Arlene Sainz on Sept 19, 2007 17:23:39 GMT -5
Author's Note: This is part of the first chapter of a story I'm writing. Let me know if it's any good, and constructive criticism is always appreciated. And yes, the main character's name is Arlene. Deal with it. The story came before Valcentica.
The weather channels had forecast heavy thunderstorms for three days and, contrary to popular belief, they actually did have hi-tech nonomal equipment that accurately predicted weather patterns most of the time. This was one of those times. Dark clouds were already gathering in the night sky over the glittering skyscrapers of the city, thick and foreboding. A heavy wind was picking up and tossing the boughs of the trees in the forest beside it like tiny toothpicks. The first few raindrops were beginning to fall, sending the last few city inhabitants scurrying into their homes. A deadly new disease known as fium was caused by the chemical-filled raindrops, and no one wanted to be caught out in the rain for too long.
Deep inside the forest, tiny animals skittered around the trunk roots, gathering the last of their buried food before the storms hit. One squirrel in particular was busy clawing up the sand around a nut he had buried two weeks ago. A bolt of lightning flashing across the sky elicited no reaction from him or any of the other animals. They focused completely on their eternal task of surviving.
A gunshot rang through the woods, sending the animals into a frenzy. A flock of crows flew up into the air cawing in fear and the squirrel fought to reach the safety of the brush. The momentary silence before the next bolt of lightning was absolute as the forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
Another gunshot sounded, followed by a pained cry. A girl came stumbling into the clearing, blood pouring from her arm. She swayed into the middle, tripped, and fell into a pile of windswept leaves, shivering from the cold front that had suddenly blown up. She stared at the blood on the leaves staining from her arm in shock. With a hurried glance over her shoulder into the gathering gloom, she pulled off the cloak draped haphazardly over her shoulders and wrapped it tightly around the gunshot wound.
The squirrel watched from the shadows, its intelligent beady eyes boring into her.
Shouts from behind her in the forest startled the girl and she leaped up, sending the autumn leaves she had been sitting on into a flurry. She sprinted in the opposite direction from the shouts, still clutching her arm, and ran right into a huge man that had seemingly popped out of nowhere, barring her path. He grabbed her thin wrists with his huge hands and pushed her up against a tree, a wide grin revealing yellow broken teeth. She yelped and tried to squeeze out of his iron grip, but it was a lost cause and she knew it. She'd tried it before. She fell limp, her arm feeling as though fire were splitting down it, her eyes glazed over with pain.
A thinner man walked slowly into the clearing. Everything about his face and demeanor was the kind and hospitable gentleman. Anyone who had dealt directly with him knew better. He smiled.
"You know, Arlene, all of this could have been avoided. If you come home now, we'll get that arm of yours patched up." His gaze traveled down to her bloody arm, then up at the threatening sky. "You'll catch fium otherwise."
"Thanks Aaron, but I'd rather take my chances with fium." Arlene glared at the man, desperation and terror replaced with hate.
Aaron sighed. "I'm afraid that wasn't a suggestion." He turned to the man holding her, taking a step forward. "I have her from here," he said, slipping a black remote-like device from his pocket.
Arlene instantly used the last of her strength to jump up on her captor's arms and kick the man in the groin as hard as she could. While he was doubled up on the ground, writhing in pain, Arlene squeezed her eyes shut and the man holding her was thrown backwards by an invisible force, tumbling head over heels into a large oak trunk. He recovered quickly, almost as if he was used to this, and made to chase Arlene, who had disappeared into the forest.
"No!" Aaron coughed and sat up, tears in his eyes. "Let her go."
"But sir - "
"I said let her."
The man instantly fell silent.
Aaron stood up, brushing the dust off his pants. "There's only one place for her to go. We'll catch her there. Besides which, we don't need her anymore. We have everything we need."
"Sir?"
Aaron looked back through the woods where Arlene had run off. "But don't go telling her that."
At the edge of the clearing, the little squirrel sat in the shadows, its ears perked. It chittered with itself as the two men walked away. Reaching a decision, the squirrel turned and ran after Arlene into the trees, dodging the thick drops of rain that were slowly getting heavier.
The weather channels had forecast heavy thunderstorms for three days and, contrary to popular belief, they actually did have hi-tech nonomal equipment that accurately predicted weather patterns most of the time. This was one of those times. Dark clouds were already gathering in the night sky over the glittering skyscrapers of the city, thick and foreboding. A heavy wind was picking up and tossing the boughs of the trees in the forest beside it like tiny toothpicks. The first few raindrops were beginning to fall, sending the last few city inhabitants scurrying into their homes. A deadly new disease known as fium was caused by the chemical-filled raindrops, and no one wanted to be caught out in the rain for too long.
Deep inside the forest, tiny animals skittered around the trunk roots, gathering the last of their buried food before the storms hit. One squirrel in particular was busy clawing up the sand around a nut he had buried two weeks ago. A bolt of lightning flashing across the sky elicited no reaction from him or any of the other animals. They focused completely on their eternal task of surviving.
A gunshot rang through the woods, sending the animals into a frenzy. A flock of crows flew up into the air cawing in fear and the squirrel fought to reach the safety of the brush. The momentary silence before the next bolt of lightning was absolute as the forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
Another gunshot sounded, followed by a pained cry. A girl came stumbling into the clearing, blood pouring from her arm. She swayed into the middle, tripped, and fell into a pile of windswept leaves, shivering from the cold front that had suddenly blown up. She stared at the blood on the leaves staining from her arm in shock. With a hurried glance over her shoulder into the gathering gloom, she pulled off the cloak draped haphazardly over her shoulders and wrapped it tightly around the gunshot wound.
The squirrel watched from the shadows, its intelligent beady eyes boring into her.
Shouts from behind her in the forest startled the girl and she leaped up, sending the autumn leaves she had been sitting on into a flurry. She sprinted in the opposite direction from the shouts, still clutching her arm, and ran right into a huge man that had seemingly popped out of nowhere, barring her path. He grabbed her thin wrists with his huge hands and pushed her up against a tree, a wide grin revealing yellow broken teeth. She yelped and tried to squeeze out of his iron grip, but it was a lost cause and she knew it. She'd tried it before. She fell limp, her arm feeling as though fire were splitting down it, her eyes glazed over with pain.
A thinner man walked slowly into the clearing. Everything about his face and demeanor was the kind and hospitable gentleman. Anyone who had dealt directly with him knew better. He smiled.
"You know, Arlene, all of this could have been avoided. If you come home now, we'll get that arm of yours patched up." His gaze traveled down to her bloody arm, then up at the threatening sky. "You'll catch fium otherwise."
"Thanks Aaron, but I'd rather take my chances with fium." Arlene glared at the man, desperation and terror replaced with hate.
Aaron sighed. "I'm afraid that wasn't a suggestion." He turned to the man holding her, taking a step forward. "I have her from here," he said, slipping a black remote-like device from his pocket.
Arlene instantly used the last of her strength to jump up on her captor's arms and kick the man in the groin as hard as she could. While he was doubled up on the ground, writhing in pain, Arlene squeezed her eyes shut and the man holding her was thrown backwards by an invisible force, tumbling head over heels into a large oak trunk. He recovered quickly, almost as if he was used to this, and made to chase Arlene, who had disappeared into the forest.
"No!" Aaron coughed and sat up, tears in his eyes. "Let her go."
"But sir - "
"I said let her."
The man instantly fell silent.
Aaron stood up, brushing the dust off his pants. "There's only one place for her to go. We'll catch her there. Besides which, we don't need her anymore. We have everything we need."
"Sir?"
Aaron looked back through the woods where Arlene had run off. "But don't go telling her that."
At the edge of the clearing, the little squirrel sat in the shadows, its ears perked. It chittered with itself as the two men walked away. Reaching a decision, the squirrel turned and ran after Arlene into the trees, dodging the thick drops of rain that were slowly getting heavier.