Chapter 60

Anya’s fingers wiggled, creating gaps that were quickly filled with countless grains of sand. The sky was of a spectacular gradient, slowly and subtly shifting from a calming orange to a cold and dark purple. Her ears twitched to the melody of splashing water and before long, the child sat up and attempted to grasp her bearings.

“This place…” she muttered right before she yawned. The girl rubbed her half-open eyes and stood up, patting away the sand on her dress.

“Hey!” Anya called out. “I know you’re here!”

A moment of silence later, she began to look around. Behind her was nothing but sand, stretching as far as the eyes could see. In front, tides of water sloshed onto the beach, resculpting the landscape with every surge. As the girl’s eyes tracked to the horizon, a bright light blinded her, forcing Anya to cover her eyes.

“What… what is that…?”

A bright orange circle shined just beyond the horizon, radiating the land in an unfamiliar warmth. Anya tried to stare at the object, but even the briefest of glances seared her eyes. A few more attempts were made before the child gave up.

Seeing as nothing was around her, she decided to stroll along the shoreline.

The girl found it strange, she had never been or even heard of a place like this before. The dark blue water splashed against the scattered rocks with fierce intensity. Yet, somehow, it brought forth a pleasant tranquility. Her admiration of the scenery was brief, soon she continued her search.

“Where are you!” She shouted. “Stop hiding!”

When nothing responded to her, she continued along the edge of the water and call out again.

“Hello…? Where are you?!”

“I’m right here.” An apathetic voice responded. The child turned toward the sound to find a boulder, which she had sworn was not there before. It was halfway sunken into the water, the oval-shaped slab stood firm and unmoving as the waves pushed against it.

“You were looking for me?” The woman sat atop the lonely rock, separated from Anya by a stretch of sea. From the back Anya could tell that her legs were crossed and her back was slouched; mannerisms that did not match the one she had came to known.

“Y-Yes.” Anya lifted her dress and cautiously dipped her toe into the water. The cold startled her at first but soon became refreshing as she made her way to the boulder.

“What is this place?” The child questioned.

“A beach.”

“A… beach…?” The girl wiggled her toes, immersed in the amusing soft sand that swallowed her feet.

“A place of sand and salty water.”

“Hmmm…” Anya bent down an slurped the water, quickly spitting and coughing as the first drop hit her tongue. “Hak!-Hak! You’re right, it is salty!” After clearing her mouth of the taste, the child made her way to the rock.

The formation was not as smooth as it initially seemed; several deformities provided a means of scaling it.

“Alright,” she huffed, forgoing her grasp and allowing her dress to soak in the chilly water. She then pressed her hand onto one of the crevasses and began her climb. One long reach after another, she managed to pull herself to the top of the large rock.

“Phew!” Anya puffed in content, wringing the salty water out of her dress. “How did you get up here?” She waited for a response, but after a short while, the girl figured she was not going to get an answer. Carefully, she shuffled her way next to the woman and sat down.

“That light...” the child pointed toward the horizon, “it’s really bright…”

“That, my dear Anya, is the Sun.”

“The… sun…?” Anya stared at the woman in confusion. “Like the one in the journal?” Her eyes glistened with excitement.

“Indeed.”

“Wow…” she mouthed, “it’s a lot closer to the ground than I thought it would be...”

A slight chuckle was heard, but when the girl turned her head, all traces of it were gone.

“So… you’ve seen it before, right…?” Anya tugged at the woman’s dress. “The… sun… that is. Because I’ve never seen it before!” She then squinted as she leaned in closer. “Who… who are you?”

The woman turned in smiled. Though her face was not covered, only her lips could be distinguished.

“You talk too much, my dear Anya.” With a slight push, the woman slid herself down the side of the rock, plopping her feet into the deep blue ocean. “We’ve idled around for long enough, it’s time to get going.”

“Get going…? Going where?”

“Weren’t you listening? I told you to follow the brightest of the lights!”

“What…?” Anya, too, slid off the boulder, nearly falling over as she splashed into the water. “Why?! What’s there?!”

The woman gently stroked the child’s hair as her lips twisted into a grin.

“You’ll see.”

***

Anya’s eyes slowly opened. At first, she was confused, once again unaware of where she was. But soon, her mind cleared and she remembered all that had occurred. She focused on the lightbulb that hung by a braid of red and blue wires. A slight electrical buzz constituted the ambiance, otherwise, it was fairly quiet. Though not as soft as the hotel, the firm mattress engrossed her. She wanted to do nothing but watch as the world ticked by. Even so, the girl eventually sat up and rubbed her eyes, yawning as she stretched her arms out into the air.

The room was quite organized, with stacks of clothing neatly folded and objects grouped together in ways pleasing to the eye. Sadly, the concrete wall, ceiling, and floor did not do the room justice. Anya’s presence was no help to the room’s aesthetics either, as she disturbed the arrangement of orderliness: Her cloak, shoes, and gear were scattered near the door, and after standing up, the girl noticed that she had also several stains on the sheets.

“Sorry…” she whispered, before gathering her belongings.

The hinges on the door creaked as it opened, but it was not enough to wake Ol’ Keep, who slept soundly at the dining table. Within just a few steps, she came into contact with the stench of booze that radiated from the old, snoring man.

“Hey…” she called, “Ol’ Keep…!” But the man seemed too out of it to respond. She tried shaking him, but that only provoked unintelligible grumbling.

Anya made a few more attempts before she gave up on trying to wake the man. Instead, she began her search around the room.

The patrol station, surprisingly, contained a fairly small stock of food. Just enough for a few more meals at most. The equipment seemed worn: a good portion of them displayed some form of visible damage on their surfaces.

“Is that…”

Next to the disassembled radio was a large map. The girl quickly climbed onto the chair, kneeling on its metal surface to get a better view.

Among the various scribbles and notes jotted on to the paper, the bright red circle stood out, denoting the station’s position. Blue lines marked out the group’s patrol paths, which did not stray too far from the building. And the location of the other outposts was also marked. It was surprising to see how few in numbers they were, considering the size of the slums. After a few more scans of the map, the child had found what she was looking for: A gate not too far from the current station that provided the only marked method of exiting the disparaging dumps.

Anya sighed. To her dismay, the secret passage she had previously taken did not appear on the map. She could attempt to search for it, but it was very unlikely that she would find it. That meant the only way out of the shantytown was through the gate. The girl leaped down from the table and headed toward the old man, attempting to wake him once more. No matter how much she shook him, Ol’ Keep remained fast asleep.

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!

The sudden banging on the door startled the child. She glanced over at the door then back at the man, now slightly concerned about the man’s health.

“Hey! I know y'all in there!”

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!

“Open up!” The voice from beyond trembled, resembling the woman from before.

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!

“Please… open up!”

Unsure of how she should respond, Anya slowly approached the door.

“The others aren’t back yet…!” the girl shouted. “...Please come back later!”

The knocking stopped, followed by a brief moment of silence.

“Let me talk to the ol’ man… O… Ol’ Keep, yeah… that’s his name. Let me talk to ‘em!”

“Ummm…” Anya glanced behind at the man who was still snoring away. “He’s… kind of unavailable right now.”

“I can’t wait!” The woman shouted, “Pa needs the food! Please, just give me the food he promised and I’ll leave!”

“I…” It was clear that the woman was desperate, her pleads becoming ever more frail and fragile. The girl stared at the shelve where stacks of rations were stored. She did not agree with Ol’ Keep’s sentiment, this woman clearly needed help. “Okay… I’ll give you what you’re asking for, but you’ll leave afterward… right?”

“... Really?”

“You’ll leave afterward, right?” Anya pressed on.

“Y-Yes! Bless ya! Bless ya!”

“Okay, then we have a deal!” Anya reached into her satchel and pushed a fresh clip into her rifle, just in case the woman had other agendas. She then strapped the rifle to her back and retrieved two foil containers. Slowly, the child opened the door just enough to offer the rations.

“Oh bless ya heart!” The woman said in a shaky voice as she accepted the meal. “Oh bless ya! Bless ya!!” She was on the brink of tears, her pale hand shaking uncontrollably.

“You’re welco-” Before Anya could close the door, the woman’s demeanor had completely changed. She slammed her hand against the metal door's surface.

“Was... was he sleepin’ this entire time?” The woman’s eyes widened as she pressed on the door.

“Huh-”

The woman abruptly pushed opened the door and knocked the girl onto the ground.

“Hey!” The girl shouted, but the woman paid no heed, immediately rushing to the shelves where the rations are held. “You said you’ll leave!”

“We made a deal, and he left me freezin’! I’m just collectin’ what’s due!”

Anya stood up and chambered a round, pointing her weapon at the intruder.

“STOP!” she demanded. “Stop this right now or I’ll shoot!”

The young woman paused, glaring at the child and her rifle.

“Shoot then.”

“What…?”

“Ain’t gonna shoot me?” The woman walked up to the shelves and grabbed as many rations as she could. “I can tell that yous a sheltered little thang, who ain’t never had her hand dirtied.” Without even as much as a glance, she trudged past the girl and out the door.

“Wait!” Anya shouted, chasing after her. “You can’t just take that!”

Once exposed to the chilly air, the woman began to shiver again.

“You lied to me!” Anya followed closely behind. “You told me You’ll just leave afterward.”

“And the hell do ya think I’m doin’ right now?”

“Ol’ Keep was right! You’re one of them!” The disgruntled girl screamed.”This place is filled… filled with lowlifes!”

The woman halted in her steps as the sound echoed through the beggarly shelters.

“Low… lowlifes…?” the woman growled. “Lowlifes?!” She turned around and rushed toward the child, catching Anya off guard.

The girl yelped as she was pushed onto the floor, head banging against the gravel.

“A fuckin’ lowlife?!" The woman pinned the rifle to the ground, and forcefully gripped Anya’s neck. “The hell gave ya the right to call us all lowlifes?! Hah?!”

Anya tried to fight the woman’s grip, but whenever she attempted to free herself, the woman’s hand clamped tighter.

“A little silver-spooned bitch ain’t got no right to call us ‘lowlives’! The hell do ya know what’s it’s like to be here?!”

“Let… guh-”

“Always hungry, always cold, always miserable! Struggle! Struggle! Struggle! That’s all I’ve ever done! That’s all I’ll ever do till I die!” The woman clenched her jaw and gritted her teeth. “I’ve seen ya type, filthy spoiled little whores… given’ all the shit she’d ever want! Never had a lift a finger in a single moment of ya fucken’ life!”

Anya tossed handfuls of dirt and pebbles at the woman to no avail.

“I’ve seen the way ya’ll look at us… like we’re a pile of shit left on the street! Lockin’ us in this hopeless dump… WELL GUESS WHAT?! YOU’RE GONNA DIE IN THIS SHITHOLE, JUST LIKE THE REST OF US-”

The woman suddenly felt weak, her grip loosening as her body became numb. She lowered her head and her eyes shifted downwards toward the searing pain in her chest.

She was bleeding.

A steady stream dripped from the tip of the blade that pierced her and onto the frantically gasping child. The moment the intrusion was pulled from her, the woman fell on to the side. An inhumane pain quickly riddled her body yet she could not scream. She wanted to rip, to scratch, to do anything to dull her suffering. Unfortunately, all she managed was to flail her limbs before the madness overtook her mind. All the while sounding a high pitch screech.