Two other people join us, one much larger than the one pulling me, the other slinkier than both. Auro then notices they're dressed in average dark clothing, dirty from streets and ripping from age. Most buttons are missing from the slinky man's plaid shirt.
The man who seems to be in charge is wearing a dark jacket with simple belts pinning from chest to hip in the front. His pants black with large pockets. He's better dressed than most people she's ever seen around here. Where did he find good clothing?
The man shoves her in front of him. "Walk." He says plain and simple. Auro does as she's told. If it weren't for the gun at her back her may even try to run, but where would she go? Hide in the buildings, stay around here for the rest of her useless, miserable life? Auro is almost ashamed that she's a bit excited to follow this path with these guys rather than stay around the Nest forever.
"Where are we going?" She asks, not turning her head to look back.
"You wouldn't know if I told you." He answered. Not a lie.
"So then you can tell me anyway since I won't know," She says as more of a demand instead of a request.
"You'll soon find out." He says. We walk to a building, smaller than most. He stops her outside of it. There's a two wheel transportation machine. Three of them.
The three men pick up some helmets that were lying on the ground next to the door of the building. The man in charge picks up the fourth one and hands it to Auto.
"Put this on." He says, and she follows his orders, putting in on and using the strap to buckle under her chin. It's too big.
He adjusts his scarf over his nose and pulls a shield down from his helmet. He then gets on the motorized thing and a roar of engine follows and the others do the same.
"Get on," he yells through his scarf. Auro hesitates before hopping on and sitting behind him, holding the handles on the sides of the small sitting area to keep from toppling over; and also to keep her hands from shaking. "Hold the handles or you can hold onto my jacket. If I lean, lean with me."
Auro nods, the heavy helmet wobbling up and down. "What is this thing?" He doesn't answer, and they start moving forward.
Auro watched as the buildings pass by faster than they ever did while she ran. They dodged most of the rubble on the streets, picking up speed when it was cleared. They were heading away from the Nest; away from everything Auro knew. Not that she had anything she needed back there.
They rode for what seemed like an eternity, until they reached the edge of the city, leaving the ruins for the first time. Will she ever come back? Where are they going? Who are these people? These questions keep playing in her head in an endless loop. These people came with one purpose; to find her. Or maybe they came to find any person they could, but Auro was the first one they saw.
They seem organized; on a mission beginning with Auro, ending wherever it is they're taking her. Auro can only hope it will be a nicer place. If such a place exists.
She watches the ruins of the city pass by, standing firm against the pressing urge of age. She watched until her neck hurt from the angle. It's taken a few hours to get this far away from the Nest, and she feels there will be a long drive ahead.
~ • ~
They stop only twice; once to eat chewy dried meat and then when the sun sets below the horizon. The men park their bikes in front of an old building, small but sturdy. There were barely any trees around during the ride, but this building is surrounded by trees, some wispy with dangling branches, some green and stiff and others blooming sweet pink flowers.
YOU ARE READING
Darker Cities
Teen Fiction"Girl," says a voice to my right, stopping me in my tracks. I don't turn my head. "They tell me I can't run," the man says, and I know who's speaking. He's a man who lost feeling in both his legs, his dark skin covered in wrinkles from chin up, mor...
