Instinct

Chapter 14 -- Crimson

The crisp morning air breathed into the room. Air brushed up against my body making me shiver a bit. I opened my eyes to the pink and blue sky. The sun seeped it's way over the towers in the distance. Yellow streaks stretched over the horizon. The window was opened and the curtains swayed from the breeze.

I sat up in the bed to see that Anthony still wasn't here.

Strange.

I rubbed my eyes and observed the bed. It was messed up with the blankets in different places. I must have slept crazily last night, but in a good way. He had such a nice bed, more comfortable than the one I had at home. I was jealous of it.

My feet brushed the carpet before finally planting into the curly and soft fabric. I stood up and walked over to the open window.

The wind ruffled through my hair, pushing it back. The smell of rain from last night still hung in the atmosphere. I couldn't help but to smile at this overwhelming aroma.

"Hey Anthony I got you some breakfast" a voice called from behind. I turned around to see a girl standing there. She was about my age. She had black medium length hair like mine, only messy. She had gleaming blue eyes and was about as tall as me. The girl wore a grey shirt with black sweat pants. In her hands was a platter of breakfast foods.

Her face was shocked and puzzled at the same time. In an instant she placed the tray on the bed and pulled out a handgun. She aimed it right at me.

"Who are you" she shouted. Her eyes had fire in them. "What did you do to Anthony"?

"Put the gun down, I'm just his friend" I answered her.

She stood there frozen in place. Her fingered twitched on the trigger. "Where's Anthony" she asked not letting her guard down.

"I don't know. I came here last night and he wasn't here. The last time I saw him was at the injections" I shuddered at the word 'injection'.

Her guard still wouldn't let up. "Aren't you the girl from the injections that freaked out when she got the serum"?

I nodded my head. "Yeah, that's me".

"You're name's not Crimson by any chance, is it"?

I swallowed. How did she know my name? I've never met her before in my life. She could be one of those people going to take me back to the holding cells. Then again, she had a tray of food and was expecting Anthony. I don't think she was here to take me back. I had to take a chance.

"That's me" I responded.

She lowered her gun. "Good" she muttered. "Sorry about that". "So are you okay or something? You seriously worried everyone there" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's not that though. It's just-" my words trailed away from my brain. I was thinking of my father.

The girl put her gun on the table next to the picture of Anthony's mother.

"What is it"?

"Just. The injections. It wasn't the injection that has me messed up, it's the man who was there". I sighed.

"The one who got shot"?

I nodded sullenly.

She thought for a bit, probably recalling the incident. "Was that man your father" she questioned.

"Why would you guess that"?

"You were calling out 'dad'" she plainly said.

That's right. I forgot about me yelling that out. "Yeah, It was my dad. I just can't shake the fact the fact the he was killed. Or why he was killed, he never did any wrong to anyone".

"If it makes you feel better Crimson; my mother and father, basically my whole family was killed" she looked around Anthony's room. "Basically why I'm here" she gestured to the hotel room. "Well not here, I live just a couple of rooms down".

"Are you friends with Anthony" I asked.

"Yeah, I am. Good friends. We always talk because there isn't a whole lot to do here. He always came down to the dining room to eat, but when he didn't show up I thought I'd come up here and bring him his food. That's when I found you here. I thought you were a looter" she laughed a bit. Her laugh made me smile.

"There's looters still" I asked. I thought they were killed off. That's what Zoe said at least.

"Surprising right? I see them on occasion, I scare them off or kill them depending on how it is. You can't get rid of something when everyone else can become one. They'll always come back. That silly thing Zoe said about 'not worrying because they're eradicated' is just an act. I killed one just yesterday".

I looked deep into her eyes. She didn't seem like the type who killed.

But then again she almost killed me.

Why didn't she?

"Why didn't you kill me" I asked. She was surprised at my question. I was too, I didn't really mean it, I was just thinking it.

"Because Anthony told me about you, that's why" she smiled.

I nodded.

"Well since we're starting to get to know each other why don't we properly greet. Hi, I'm Kaitlyn Meere, my faction is the Xultants. What about you" she held out her hand.

"Well nice to meet you Kaitlyn" I smiled to myself. This was absolutely ridiculous. "My name is Crimson Toxi, and my faction is the Vulrants" I took her hand and shook it.

"Well nice to meet you Crimson". She looked over to the tray of food and then back to me. "Care for some food"?

"Would I" I smiled at the offer.

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It took some time to eat the food. Honestly, I don't remember the last time I ate something. In the meantime while we were eating we talked about ourselves. I told Kaitlyn about everything interesting that happened in my life; how I met Anthony, the faction, my family, the injection, my father, the cell and coming here.

The whole time she looked deep into my eyes and listened very closely, asking questions every now and then. And then she told me about herself.

"I wasn't born to much, our family had barely anything to live for. We could barely get by with the food and water we had. We lived in a destroyed house after losing our other one. My family consisted of My father, mother, sister and brother. When I was ten my older brother was caught trying to sneak over the wall. He was tried and punished by death. When I was twelve my older sister attacked my mother, she killed her with a kitchen knife".

"A couple of days later after the murder my sister was also executed. Then it was just my father and I. When I was fifteen my father got so depressed that he killed himself by jumping of Zoe's tower. When I turned sixteen the council favored that I have a home of my own. They located a home for me here".

"That's when I met Anthony. He invited me into the hotels with open arms. That's when we became good friends. He told me the things that happened to him and I told him how I ended up here. He mentioned you to me sometimes telling me that I need to meet you one day. He thinks you're a really great friend. And that's about it, I've been here for about a year now".

"The injections that happened yesterday; that was insane. And what happened to you was scary. And then to top it all off a man, your father, is shot in front of all of us. That's not like the council to do something as so. It was so bad that they cancelled the injections for the rest of us. You were the only one to get it".

I was stunned by every word she spoke. From her family to the injections.

I was the only one.

The thought made me want to vomit. I would be the only one affected by this outcome. No one would know the hell I experienced. I looked out the window to see the sun finally out from behind the towers.

"What's taking Anthony so long" Kaitlyn asked. I was wondering the same thing.

"Where do you think he is" I questioned.

"I'm not sure".

"Do you think he's in trouble"?

"I hope not".