When morning came,
Chase and Ciara’s wounds were already healed, so the three of them first ate
their breakfast and planned out their next move. Liam had been sharpening his
sickle, and Chase had been fixing his leg, using the materials he gathered at
Thinnest River: coconut shells, and coconut leaves.
After that, everyone
turned to their next destination, which was the Bridge, and climbed up the
hill. Ciara couldn't help but admire Chase's talent. With only the usage of
limited materials, Chase had been able to recreate his destroyed leg from
scratch. Ciara knew they've
been getting closer to the bridge. The ground turned dry, and the direction of
the wind was blowing harder from the east side.
“It’s going to
rain.” Chase muttered.
He was right. Ciara
could smell the damp air rising and moist coming from the sky.
“We’re getting
closer,” Ciara said, “Just a little bit farther.”
She recognized the
signature muddy path trails going to the entrance of the Metric. 5 minutes
more…Ciara thought. We’re getting closer to Metric…to my home. But
instead of feeling excited about the trip, Ciara felt a horrible sensation
swarming inside her stomach. What is this feeling? Ciara thought as she
took another step, feeling the mud sticking underneath her foot. Why do I
feel so…afraid…?
Ciara should be
excited. If not, she should be happy. This was Metric after all. But what will
be there to greet her? Everyone was dead. The village was a ghost town. What
good will happen to her there?
“Why won’t you put
me down, Liam?" Chase said, "This is embarrassing, you know,” Ciara
knew that Liam was carrying Chase on his back, because his little brother was
slightly recovering from the bridge accident.
“Your body is still
recovering, so quit whining like a baby,” Liam scolded his brother.
“But you're
tired," Chase protested, "You’ve been carrying me for over an hour,”
“No can do Chase, I
told you, I’m strong, right?” Liam said brightly and Chase made a disapproving
sound. And then Ciara heard Liam stop.
“Li—” Ciara asked,
but Liam cut her off.
“It’s raining!” Liam
said urgently and Ciara saw his outline zooming past her.
Before Ciara could
say anything, the sky grumbled and immediately rain started to pour down on
them. Why is Liam so terrified of the
rain? Quickly, Ciara put her hood on and bolted forward, joining the Crude
Brothers as they ran through the rain.
Ciara panted. Her
senses were getting distorted as the rain showered heavily down the land. The
fog was getting colder and Ciara kept running through the rain, struggling from
the cold.
“Hate this rain!”
Liam shouted. Liam is on my right side, just ahead of me…Ciara thought. 3
more minutes and we’ll reach the Metric.
“Don’t worry, we’re
almost there, I could see the wooden post of the Metric entrance,” Chase said.
2
minutes more…Ciara
thought.
Ciara recalled
something from history class since she was a child. Each region had a symbol.
Arc for Metric. Epicenter for the square gate. Part for fences. Group for the
brick walls and Layer for the cement pillars.
1 more
minute…Ciara
thought. The ground is getting slimy, and the cobble paths are getting
higher…45 seconds…
“Whoa!” Ciara heard
Liam suddenly skidding into a stop. Water splashed across her knees.
“What’s wrong?”
Chase asked, and Ciara felt Chase’s wet fingers tangling her hand. Chase pulled
her to where Liam was and abruptly stopped, “Goodness!”
Ciara immediately
knew what the Crude Brothers were talking about. Metric wasn’t in good shape. Unexpectedly,
Ciara dashed forward, ignoring Chase and Liam’s shouts from behind. My
village, Ciara thought, her heart drumming louder in her chest. Ignoring
the rain, she ran forward until her right foot hit something, and crashed
face-first on the muddy ground. Pain jolted her body.
Images flashed
inside her head. The arc gate—the villagers who mocked her—Eliza’s luxurious house
near the West Side—the boys who teased her name—and her family’s miniature
cottage.
Ciara lay on the
ground, inhaling a strong scent of burned ashes, moist rain and wood saw. Tears
drizzled down her face, merging with the rain. She choked a sob and scraped the
ground with her fingernails.
Metric
is nothing but a deserted island. Everything has been destroyed. Ciara thought. Virgo did this—I
did this, because I’m the Candidate.
Something acidic struck
her nose. Ciara gagged. What is this smell? Ciara tried to cover her
mouth, but it was too late. The lethal smell was already making her giddy, and
it was suffocating her.
Ciara collapsed on
the ground, her head throbbing in pain. She shakily reached out her hand,
trying to distinguish the blurry surroundings, and failed. What is happening to me? Her breathings turned shallow, and her
body started to quiver in the cold. Ciara closed her eyes—when suddenly, wet
lips were pressed against her mouth. Sweet, acidic apple cider flavors burst in
her tongue. Something changed. Energy grew back inside her body, making Ciara
stronger like never before. A Swirl, Ciara thought. Then the lips were
gone, and Ciara could feel someone standing on her left side.
“Liam,” Ciara
whispered as she scrambled up to her feet.
“What are you
thinking, Ciara? Are you trying to kill yourself?” Liam yelled. Ciara didn’t answer
him. “Hey—listen to me, I don’t want to see anyone dying in front of me, you
hear me? You should have listened to my go signal before you ran off on your
own, stupid!”
“I’m…sorry…” Ciara
lowered her head.
“You inhaled some
toxic nuclear substance, so I gave you the Antidote Swirl through
mouth.” Liam scolded her. “If I didn’t give you the Antidote Swirl, you
could have died. Nuclear toxic can kill you in a matter of seconds if you don’t
have the antidote.”
“I’m sorry,” Ciara
repeated.
“Geez,” Liam sighed,
“Don’t scare us like that, you know.”
Ciara nodded,
“Where’s Chase?” Ciara asked groggily.
“He’s at the
entrance. Don’t worry, he’s fine,” Liam’s voice grew serious. “But that’s not
the point, Ciara. The point is... we need to stick together at all times,” he
continued, “You can’t do what you want. You need to trust us, especially your
comrades.”
Ciara sighed and
Liam took her hand, dragging her to where Chase was. The Crude Brothers had
already drunk their Swirls, so the three of them could now freely walk
around the destroyed village. Liam carried Chase on his back and became the
leader.
Every time Ciara
took a step forward, pain squeezed her heart. Images quickly flowed inside her
head. The once busy market was now nothing, but a land full of mud. How many
people were decayed underneath these soils? Ciara would never know. She could
hear and smell nothing, but rotten soil and burnt wood. Aside from the market,
the school was also one of her most important memories in life. The left side
was Metric’s Community School, and now it was nothing, but a pile of broken
wood post.
And then Ciara
stopped. Withered roses…the smell
of polished piano and wood…Ciara though, it couldn’t be…
Without thinking, Ciara fastened her pace and ran
forward. Her heart stumbled inside her chest. I know this scent…Ciara
thought. My home!
“Ciara!”
Everything went fast. By the time she realized what had
happened—Ciara was on the ground and felt someone tightly squeezing her neck,
blocking her windpipe. Pain struck her head. Ciara struggled, but the grip
around her neck was too strong as if the person was crushing her throat. The
weight of the body is too heavy and the sizes of his hands are too large.
Ciara thought. Someone has come to kill me.
“Filthy Rein guards! Why did you come back to this
village!” the man angrily shouted, the echo of his voice vibrating in front of
her face. He must be a Metric survivor, Ciara thought. Suddenly, her
head was being smashed on the ground. The man continued, “Tell me, or I’ll
smash your head until you die!”
Ciara choked, gasping, but the man keep shoving her face
on the ground, scratching her skin in the process. “I…not…Rein—”
“Ciara!” Liam’s voice cut through her mind, and the next
thing she knew, the man was gone. Ciara wheezed and heard a loud thump from a
short distance beside her. Liam…he’s…holding the man back, Ciara
breathed heavily, two shuffling sounds…two voices yelling…and another thump
on the ground…they’re wrestling…
“Ciara, are you
alright!?” Ciara heard another thump beside her. It’s Chase. “Here,
let me help you,” Gently, Chase pulled her up. Ciara touched the back of her
head and felt blood dripping the sides of her fingers. It’s still raining, Ciara
wondered. That will wash the blood off my head. Ciara asked dizzily.
“What happened?”
“Apparently that man thinks that you’re one of the Rein
guards.” Chase said quickly. Another punch, another groaned…more shuffling
of bodies, rolling on the ground, Ciara studied.
Ciara heard the man’s body movements stop. He’s not
dead, Ciara thought, panic rose up in her chest. She remembered the
incident when Eliza died. That wouldn’t happen to the man. Ciara believed in
Liam, she believed that he wouldn’t kill anyone…
Loud breathings coming from the man’s chest…Ciara thought. I can’t focus with this rain…Ciara thought. I
can’t hear Liam’s deep breathings. They must have stopped fighting…but why?
“What’s wrong, you sick bastard,” Liam panted. Ciara
sighed in relief. Good, he hasn’t killed the man yet. “You already had
enough of my punches, huh? Well, that’s what you get for beating Ciara like
th—”
“You’re that murderer!” the man screamed and Ciara sensed
Liam froze. The man continued, “You’re that boy who killed the Mirriam couple!”
Mirriam couple? Ciara
tried to recall the names, but she couldn’t remember anyone named Mirriam. Wait,
Ciara paused. Couple…There was only one couple she knew, and that
was Eliza’s parents.
Liam accidentally killed the couple. Chase’s words echoed her thoughts. He didn’t mean it….
That was the answer. Ciara looked up and closed her eyes,
trying to sense what Liam and man were doing. At 9 o’clock, just a short
distance beside me, there’s a strong wind breezing through my direction. Ciara
calculated. Strong wind is caused by deep breathings, depending on the body
weight and size. If the wind is strong, that must be where the man was
standing.
Liam must be standing on the opposite side,
though I don’t sense something from him…Ciara
thought. I can’t hear any breathings coming from me…Liam must be shocked and
frozen in place.
What an awful timing, Ciara thought.
“I was right!” the man shouted, still breathing heavily,
“I remember you from that time. You were with him!” He must be pointing at
Chase.
“Leave my brother out of this!” Liam roared.
Don’t kill him, Liam. Ciara thought. Control your anger.
The man burst into a shriek. “You’re cold-blooded
murderer.” the man continued, “If I have known that you’re still alive, I would
have killed you when you killed those couple. Those couple were my best
friends,” the man continued. “You see, I was on my way to open the door when I
heard a rampage inside the house. Panicked, I went to the window and watched
how it happened,” the man sniggered, “I don’t know how you did it, but by the
time I witnessed the incident, those two were already dead.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you didn’t watched the whole
thing,” Liam said in a mischievous way.
“You’re nothing, but a devil,” the man snarled, and Ciara
heard tapping and splashing sounds getting close to her left side. The man
is lunging at Liam. Ciara thought. Since I can’t hear his body movements
because of the rain...I can’t analyze what he is doing…
Suddenly, there was a yell and a sharp sound of thump
and crack.
“What are they doing?” Ciara asked Chase beside her.
“Liam countered the man’s punch easily with his right
hand,” Chase said as if he was shaken, “I-I didn’t realized that someone was
watching us at that time…I should have blocked the windows or something. I’m so
stupid…”
“It’s all in the past,” Ciara reassured him.
“Just give it up, will you?” Liam gritted his teeth. Liam
must be holding back, Ciara thought. “You’re injured and you’re heavily
bruised. You have no chance of winning against m—” Ciara a sharp stab and
someone groaning.
“Liam!” Chase shouted.
Ciara’s heart stomped. She could smell coming from
the two figures. If Chase shouted Liam’s name, it could mean big trouble.
“Ugh,” Liam coughed. The source of the blood comes
from Liam. Ciara thought. It’s not from the man, because the direction
of the wind comes from the east side. Ciara sniffed. The smell of the
blood gets thicker. Something struck Liam…
The man chuckled. Ciara’s eyes shook. The man must
have stabbed Liam…but how? Ciara thought and something snapped in her mind.
When Liam countered the man’s punch, Ciara couldn’t guess what the man was
doing because of the harsh rain. So if the man used one hand as a decoy, he must have dug the knife and
stabbed Liam when he wasn’t looking.
“That’s what you get
for killing my best friends,” the man spat, and Ciara heard a thump and
a splash on the ground. Chase shouted Liam’s name, but Ciara wasn’t paying
attention until she realized that Chase had made a run toward the man.
What is
he doing!? Ciara
thought. Is Chase trying to get himself killed!?
Ciara heard a swish,
the splashing of water and a thump on the ground. The fear in her heart
grew stronger. Gratefully the rain had calm down, giving Ciara time to focus on
her senses.
“Please, Sir. We
didn’t mean to cause this commotion,” Chase panted, “Our friend just wanted to
visit this place because she’s a Metric survivor.”
“As if I will believe you,” the man said,
“Murderers. You’re the Vixens, right!? Vixens are nothing, but people who kill
and fight. I don’t have to waste my time with you peo—”
“Stop it!” Ciara
shouted, “He’s telling the truth!” The idea quickly came to Ciara's mind. She
brushed the fallen sides of her hair to show the man the mark on her cheek,
“See!?”
“C…iara…” she heard
Liam groaned and saw Chase’s dark figure sitting on the ground. So it
finally stopped raining. Ciara thought. The rain had vanished and
everything was becoming clear again.
“My words...” the man gasped.
Ciara raised an eyebrow, “Y-you’re really like us..." the man’s voice
turned calm. “Anyone who has that symbol
on their right cheek means they won’t betray their village.”
“That’s what we are
trying to tell you, old man.” Liam grunted. He must be drinking a
Swirl…because I could hear gulping sounds from his throat, Ciara thought.
“Liam, are you
alright?” Chase asked. Ciara saw the outlines of the two brothers standing up.
She didn’t even realize that they were heavily soaked from the rain.
“Yeah, thanks to you
two,” Liam said and turned to the man, “We didn’t come here to kill you. We
came here because we wanted to know what happened to Metric, for our friend.”
I can't
hear anymore harsh breathings and the angry presence from the man. Ciara thought. Good, he must
have calm down when he noticed the mark on my cheek.
“Do you know Leverie Plop?” Ciara asked the
only name that was familiar in Metric. Her sister was a celebrity, so people
easily recognized her.
The man gasped, “The Leverie Plop?
You can’t mean…” he paused and continued, “You’re the youngest Plop. The
fisherman’s daughter.”
Ciara slowly nodded,
and to her surprise, the old man hugged her. “I didn’t even recognize you…I
could still remember you when you were little, but now, you look—different.”
“That’s because
she’s blind.” Liam interrupted their conversation. “She came here with us
because she wanted to know what caused Metric’s destruction.”
Ciara felt the heavy
tension between her and the old man. Her sister was very famous in Metric, so
bringing up her name meant something—either a family member, or a friend.
“I see,” the man
said, “I’m sorry for attacking you like that. If I’ve known that you’ve become
blind, I should have welcomed you, though there’s nothing left in Metric
anymore,” he cleared his throat, “Anyway, come with me and bring your fox
friends with you," he paused, ‘Also, since you three are here, you must
have met Eliza by now, right?”
Ciara heard Liam's
Adam apple bobbled up.
“I’m sorry,” Chase
answered the question, “but she didn’t make it.”
The man sighed, “I
know,” he continued, “because you killed her.”
Ciara felt Liam
stiffened beside her. Oh no. Ciara braced for another fight, but she couldn’t
sense any anger radiating from the man.
“I know…” Liam
croaked.
To Ciara’s surprise,
the man sighed, “Well, at least she won’t be suffering anymore. I think its best
that everyone should die, instead of being alive, you know what I mean?”
“Wait, you’re not
mad at Liam?” Chase asked, panic in his tone.
“Getting mad will
not bring everyone to life,” the man replied, “Also, I trust you and Ciara, but
that doesn’t mean I trust that murderer.”
Liam snorted, and
Ciara heard Chase shaking his head.
“Anyway, Ciara,” the
man said, “Call me Victor. I’m sure you don’t remember me, because of your
torture in Part. But as a fellow Metric, I'll let you know that I’m the one who
taught your sister to play the piano.”
Ciara’s eyes
widened, and Victor laughed.
“Ciara’s not dumb,
you know,” Liam interrupted the conversation, “so don’t try to trick her.”
“I’m not talking to
you, murderer,” Victor hissed and grunted, “We’re wasting time here.
Let’s go.”
While the three of
her companions already moved out, Ciara stayed on her position, gazing at the
familiar house beside her. I’m home, Ciara said in her mind. If she
wasn’t blind, what would be the appearance of her house right now?
Ciara wanted to
touch her house, but she retreated back. The house is burned down. Nothing
left except of burned ashes and wood. Ciara thought. Did my parents died
in here? Tears slipped from her eyes. Why didn’t I say something before
they died?
Ciara frowned and
shook her head.
This was the place
where her parents died, her sister died, and Ciara grew up. I won’t be able
to go home to this place ever again, Ciara said in her mind, Goodbye.
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